The disgraced former Texas EPA Czar Al Armendariz’s war on Matagorda County has come to an end. The County has a population of a mere 36,000, but when Armendariz seized control of EPA regulations in the Lone Star, he declared the rural county, a dangerous ‘smog violator.’

The Houston Chronicle reports that, “the Environmental Protection Agency, in a reversal, announced Tuesday that mostly rural Matagorda County will not join the list of Texas’ smog violators.”

David Bary, EPA spokesman, said that the federal agency dropped the plans after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and others had proven that its initial analysis overstated emissions from Matagorda County.

According to the Houston Chronicle, “the decision frees Matagorda County from the same tighter rules for industrial pollution already in place for the eight counties linked to Houston’s dirty air, prompting cheers from local leaders.”

Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald, said, “it’s a happy day. We had a good robust and verifiable argument that we forwarded because the EPA afforded us the opportunity. As a result, the EPA made the right decision.”